Here is our primary reason for making the trip in July/August this year: precious little Hannah Frances Miller, born while we were there. We thank our gracious Heavenly Father for another providential addition to our family, grandbaby number 26. What a blessed family we are! For a complete account with lots of real pictures, go to the Discher's blog:www.thedischerfamily.blogspot.com
Danny and I knew we were doing the big "rafting down the river" thing with the older ones, so we decided one day to take three little ones with us to town for some errands and . . .BOWLING!! If you have never been bowling with a nine-year-old, a 4-year-old and a 3-year old, you don't know what you are missing! Rosie, Savannah, and Emma Jane will be happy to show you how to work those bumper lanes! Here, Savanna waits with great anticipation to see what happens with her turn.
Emma Jane just knows this will be the big one! They were fascinated!
Granddaddy shows Savannah how to hold the ball. Thank goodness, the lanes had the foresight to have some 5 lb. balls. Lofting them doesn't do quite as much damage to the wood!
Rosie caught on very quickly and had some pretty good scores! The men at the desk were just kept in stitches by the two little ones and their running commentary. What a nice thing that we had the whole place to ourselves! We loved it!
Every time we have been up for a visit, I have wanted to take a gravel road with a sign that says "Locust 2 miles". This time we did. It is a little community hidden in the bottom of a hollow, a very quaint little place with only a few cottages. Jason says it floods when the flash floods come, so I guess it isn't the best place to build. This is a picture of the old post office/general store. The sign says "Locust 1908 Store and Post Office" and it lists the Breeding family, founders of Locust.Interesting.
"Big Man" Paul decides he is going to take us for a drive. He loves to make those Brrrrmmm, brrrmmmm sounds all little boys seem to be born knowing how to make! We miss you so much, Paul!
Silly girls! This must have been on the way to go bowling -- they are just too excited!
Well, the day for the big rafting trip came. The Missouri Frodges and Dischers (except Eddie) loaded up with Danny and I and off we went to the put in at Hodgson Mill, about 35 min. from the property. Kitty had been looking forward to this for a long time! So, everyone put in and left Grandmother (me) to drive down to the take out at Warren's Bridge. It was an 8 mile run, which Danny assured me would take only a couple of hours. I had my doubts, based on a canoeing trip about 30 years ago! At any rate, what would I do by myself for those hours waiting at a strange, backwoods bridge, which turned out to be the local swimmin' hole for Darryl and my other brother Darryl (think "Newhart").
After about an hour or so wait, Beth, Ashley, and their babies appeared, thank God. when they had put in, the water was fast, and they just knew there was no way they could take those babies. So they joined me, and we waited. After another few hours, some kayakers got out, and we asked about the timing of the trip. They turned out to be experienced and they assured us our rafters would not be there until 9:30 pm or so! We had time, lots of time. So we went home to get Eddie and get dinner started.
About 8 pm, up pulled a pickup in the near dark with lots of girls waving at us vigorously. It was our girls! Granddaddy and 5 Discher girls had been smart. They saw lights near the creek and threw themselves on the mercy of a kindly couple, who drove them to the take out. "This isn't the first time", they assured us. Jason, Peter, and little Savannah had been ahead of them, so, after profusely thanking the rescuers, we knew the only thing to do was wait. . . . and wait . . . and, listening to the howling coyotes, wait.
At about 9:30, with truck lights shining on the creek, we finally saw and heard the long-lost rafters! Peter barely makes it from meal to meal as it is, but he was famished, so the peaches we had brought for snacks filled the need.
Jason was never so thankful for a towel! What a saga they had to tell! Little Savannah was quite a trooper -- of course, her daddy was pulling her in the raft, but he said she didn't whine or cry and trusted him completely. Home we went with the exhausted, but exhilarated, adventurers! Every generation needs an adventure story to tell the next, and this is this generation's -- until the next time!
